At the present time, it is well-recognized that provision must be made for accommodating dogs to literally "go to the toilet". This is true not only in larger cities, but smaller ones as well, where laws make it mandatory for the owner of the dog in taking him for a walk to pick up defecated matter in a bag and dispose of it. Moreover, the burden of taking the dog for a walk must be borne by all dog owners, as required by leash laws which prohibit letting the dog take care of himself.
The desirability of providing a flushable toilet for dogs has been recognized during recent years and has received the attention of several inventors working in this field.
One example of such a device comprises an animal toilet that is installed either indoors or outdoors by conventional plumbing, and includes a toilet bowl having a substantially flat bottom on which a dog stands while relieving itself and is arranged to clean animal excrement from the toilet, while simultaneously flushing and wiping the bowl to move the excrement into a discharged outlet. The operation of the toilet is controlled either manually or by electric power, not by the weight of a dog while standing in position to relieve himself.
Another example of a flushable toilet for dogs is characterized by the fact that when the dog's weight is on a treadle or pedestal, a valve is pre-conditioned to be opened when the dog leaves the treadle. The flushing does not occur while the dog is in a defecating position on the treadle.
In another known flushing device, the dog enters a cabinet through an opening that is normally covered by a pendulously swinging door. This door is connected by gearing to a valve in a flush tank comparable to a water closet; the dog defecates on the bottom of the cabinet and, when the aforesaid valve opens, water flows through a tube into the defecated mater, causing the latter to flow into a drain.
There are two types of flush tanks. One is the conventional water closet and the other is a conduit providing water under pressure. The water closet type is suitable for outdoor use and in homes or apartments at low altitudes, but is not particularly adapted for use in high-rise apartments. The prior art is singularly lacking in an animal toilet which may be readily adapted to either type of flushing operation.
Nearly all male dogs urinate while standing on three legs and while standing against a tree, fire plug or similar object. None of the now known canine toilets include an upright tube which, for the purpose of this specification, is called a "piddle post", for the accommodation of male dogs in urinating and which disposes of the urine.
Also, while it is known to provide an animal toilet including a ramp to assist dogs to get onto the pedestal or stand while defecating, such known ramps are of fixed angularity and are not susceptible of adjustment to a dog of a particular size.
Known canine toilets are also lacking in certain auxiliary features, such as a drinking fountain for the dog, a shampooing apparatus, a piddle post, which also functions as a guard for certain of the control mechanisms, a pedestal constituting the toilet seat which is formed with a slot through which defecated matter passes, and weep perforations. There is also no known dog toilet which includes a storage space for the shampoo apparatus or other articles associated with a dog.